GILLETTE, Wyo. — An online fundraising effort to support the families of three University of Wyoming student-athletes who died in a car crash last week topped $117,000 on Monday.
The crash occurred on Feb. 22 approximately 10 miles south of the Wyoming–Colorado border, claiming the lives of UW swimming and diving team members Charlie Clark, Carson Muir and Luke Slabber.
The day after the crash, a GoFundMe was organized by UW Athletics and Samuel Brodie through which donations are being split evenly between the three affected families to help offset funeral expenses and travel, the fundraiser page states.
As of Feb. 26, the fundraiser has climbed well above its initial $75,000 goal and is currently sitting at $117,742, with donations ranging from a few dollars up to $5,000, according to GoFundMe.
Clark, a 19-year-old sophomore and men’s team member from Las Vegas, Nevada, had been majoring in psychology. Muir was an 18-year-old freshman from Birmingham, Alabama, studying veterinary sciences while competing on the women’s team. Slabber, a resident of Cape Town, South Africa, was a member of the men’s team and was majoring in construction management, the university says.
All three died and two others sustained non-life-threatening injuries on Feb. 22 at the intersection of Highway 287 and Red Mountain Road between Livermore and Virginia Dale, Colorado, according to a university statement, which says initial indications are that the driver swerved and the vehicle left the roadway, rolling multiple times.
“We are heartsick at the news of this terrible tragedy for our university, our state, our student-athlete community, and, most importantly, the families and friends of these young people,” UW President Ed Seidel said in a statement. “Words are insufficient to express our sadness.”
UW Director of Athletics Tom Burman said his thoughts and prayers are with the university’s swim and diving community as well as the families and friends of Clark, Muir and Slabber.
“It is difficult to lose members of our [UW] family, and we mourn the loss of these student-athletes,” Burman said in a statement.